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Panda Security

The Dark Side of Shopping Apps

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Are shopping apps safe?

As we shoppers get better at identifying scams, cybercriminals are having to create new ways to try and steal our money. Effective PC security tools like Panda Safe Web can identify and block fake websites before scammers have a chance to trick us.

But increasingly we are shopping from our smartphones and tablets instead of desktop PCs. Realising this, cybercriminals have begun to develop a range of mobile-focused attacks designed to steal personal data and money.

So when you do fire up a shopping app on your mobile phone, how do you know it can be trusted?
Here are some tips.

1. Only download apps from official sources

Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store use a very strict approval process to protect their customers. Whenever an app is submitted to one of these official stores, it is checked to ensure that it is not infected with malware, and doesn’t take personal data without your permission.

For iPhone users this is great news – every app they can download has been checked to ensure it is safe. Especially as Apple devices cannot install apps from anywhere else but the App Store.

Android users on the other hand are not limited to the Google Play store – they can download and install apps from virtually anywhere. Although this is much more flexible, not all app stores or websites apply the same security checks. Cybercriminals exploit this weakness by tricking Android users into downloading infected apps from email attachments or fake app stores. Once installed, this malware allows scammers to steal credit card details, or to encrypt your files so you cannot access them without paying a ransom.

When it comes to downloading shopping apps you must ensure they come from the official app store – otherwise you could be inviting cybercriminals onto your phone.

2. Install a mobile Security tool

You wouldn’t dream of leaving your PC unprotected against malware – so why ignore your mobile phone? Just this week mobile hacking hit the headlines again as government officials tried to highlight the risks.

It is absolutely essential that Android owners install a mobile security tool to protect themselves against fake shopping apps. Panda Mobile Security scans installed apps to detect malware and alert you to potential problems before your data can be stolen.

Using Panda Mobile Security you can also control what each app does, preventing them from accessing your data, or from triggering your camera or microphone. You can also prevent apps – good or bad – from uploading your information to the cloud, adding an additional layer of protection.

Stay alert

As well as installing security software on your mobile phone, you need to treat apps, web downloads and email attachments with caution. In the same way that you don’t open attachments from people you don’t know on your PC, you shouldn’t download unknown apps from untrusted websites.

As our phones become an important part of our shopping habits, criminals will devote more of their time and effort to attacking them. So it pays to protect yourself now before they attack you.

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It Did What? The Dirty Secrets About Digital Assistants

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Are Siri and Other Digital Assistants Actually a Security Risk?

People started fearing digital assistants before they even became a reality. Before computers were even a household commodity, Stanley Kubrick was terrifying cinemagoers with HAL, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s rogue AI assistant.

Today though, our intelligent personal assistants form an important part of our lives. As AI technology advances they will become even more prevalent.

While the dangers imagined in Sci-fi movies of the 60’s and 70’s are thankfully far from being around the corner, it’s important to look at the real security risks that digital assistants could pose.

Despite being the most popular intelligent personal assistants, Siri and Cortana are not the only iterations of this growing technology on the market. Amazon, for example, now offers it’s Echo device, while Facebook has recently released its own digital assistant called M.

So what are the dangers?

Not to sound too ominous, but IBM has banned the use of Siri for its employees. The rule was set by IBM Chief Technology Officer Jeanette Horan, who cited security concerns.

You know those large license agreements you have to agree to when you first start using a device, the ones most people don’t bother reading?

Well, Apple’s iPhone Software License Agreement, quite vaguely, shows how voice commands are used after being submitted to Siri. “When you use Siri or Dictation, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple in order to convert what you say into text.”

What’s more, “by using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its subsidiaries’ and agents’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data, to provide and improve Siri, Dictation, and other Apple products and services.”

Sounds like jargon? The convoluted styles in these agreements often help to gloss over important information that most companies know their user’s will be glancing over at best.

Siri may not literally be watching you, but the fact is that everything you say to her is sent to a big data center in Maiden, North Carolina. IBM’s Horan decided to ban Siri because it could be storing sensitive information for an unspecified amount of time.

If Apple were breached, hackers could intercept that data. And perhaps just as alarmingly, a lot of the data is sent to third party companies. Besides the fact that you’ll receive an onslaught of targeted ads, the more companies this information is sent to the less private it becomes.

This is far from being solely an Apple issue though.

Amazon Echo, A Criminal Witness?

In a case that has seen Amazon largely mirror Apple’s resolve on handing over encrypted data to the FBI, the Amazon Echo may have been a key witness to a murder.

James Andrew Bates is suspected of having killed Victor Collins in his apartment. No one else was present at the scene of the crime, except that is, Alexa, who was being used to stream music throughout the night.

Amazon, much like Apple, have abstained from giving police the data on Alexa, saying it would set an unwanted precedent. This shows though, at the very least, that police in Bentonville, Arkansas, where the crime took place, believe Alexa may be capable of storing sensitive information. So much so, they believe it could incriminate a suspect in a murder case.

Whilst this is obviously an extreme example of a data privacy issue, what implications does it have in a regular home?

The biggest all-round concern for cybersecurity experts is that these devices are constantly programmed to listen. Amazon’s Echo device is called to action by the command “Alexa”. This seems like an obvious vulnerability that could be used by hackers to listen into conversations taking place in the home.

Aside from this, the Echo cannot differentiate between different voices, so anyone who comes into your home potentially has access to every account linked to Alexa.

Other Risks

So, whilst it is yet to have happened, or to have been allowed by any of the big tech companies, lawyers or the police could potentially subpoena sensitive information. This is, of course, if law enforcement gets their way.

If they do, they’ll have the key to a huge amount of information, Apple, Amazon and Google being amongst a growing list of companies that keeps an archive of commands.

The problem, however, goes beyond the mere use of digital assistants. As the use of integrated devices and smart homes increases, more and more devices will have the ability to store potentially sensitive information. A Smart TV, for example could easily have the capability of storing recorded information. Whilst this would seemingly be primed towards targeted ads, there is again the possibility that sensitive information could be stored unbeknownst to its users.

Keep Safe

The obvious advice is easy to uphold, and is one that most people will already be practicing. Don’t say sensitive information, like passwords or credit cards details, out loud. It’s likely to become increasingly difficult to know who (or what’s) listening within your own home.

Meanwhile, whilst operating systems such as iOS do let you manage data collection by changing privacy settings, the only option the Amazon Echo gives you is to unplug the device when not in use. It’s important, therefore, to look at your privacy settings, whatever the device.

So aside from telling us tomorrow’s weather, where the best restaurants are, and the occasional bad joke, digital assistants do pose some real risks to our cybersecurity.

Whilst the technology undoubtedly makes us more seamlessly connected to our tech devices, in turn making our lives easier, it’s important to always take into account the issue of privacy; an issue that tech is increasingly making more tenuous within our own homes, for better or for worse.

The post It Did What? The Dirty Secrets About Digital Assistants appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

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Your Android lock pattern can be cracked in just five attempts

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If you use a lock pattern to secure your Android smartphone, you probably think that’s the perfect way to avoid unwanted intrusions. However, that line you draw with your finger may be a bit too simple. After all, if even Mark Zuckerberg himself used ‘dadada’ for all of his passwords, it is not surprising that your lock pattern may be a simple letter of the alphabet.

Android lock patterns can be easily cracked using a computer vision algorithm.

Relax, you are not the only one. Around 40 percent of Android users prefer lock patterns to PIN codes or text passwords to protect their devices. And they usually go for simple patterns. Most people only use four of the nine available nodes, according to a recent study conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Additionally, 44 percent of people start their lock screen pattern from the top left corner of the grid.

Even though creating more complicated patterns may seem like the best solution to make your password harder to guess, a team of researchers has demonstrated that complex patterns are surprisingly easier to crack than simple ones by using an algorithm.

Hackers can steal your lock pattern from a distance

Picture this: You sit at a table in your favorite café, take your smartphone out of your pocket and trace your lock pattern across the phone screen. Meanwhile, an attacker at a nearby table films the movements of your fingers. Within seconds, the software installed on their device will suggest a small number of possible patterns that could be used to unlock your smartphone or tablet.

Researchers from the Lancaster University and the University of Bath in the UK, along with the Northwest University in China, have shown that this type of attack can be carried out successfully by using footage filmed with a video camera and a computer vision algorithm. The researchers evaluated the attack using 120 unique patterns collected from users, and were able to crack 95 percent of patterns within five attempts.

The attack works even without the video footage being able to see any of the on-screen content, and regardless of the size of the screen. The attackers would not even need to be close to the victim, as the team was able to steal information from up to two and a half meters away by filming on a standard smartphone camera, and from nine meters using a more advanced digital SLR camera.

Surprising as it may seem, the team also found that longer patterns are easier to hack, as they help the algorithm to narrow down the possible options. During tests, researchers were able to crack all but one of the patterns categorized as complex, 87.5 percent of median complex patterns, and 60 percent of simple patterns with the first attempt.

Now, if tracing a complex pattern is not a safe alternative, what can you do to protect yourself, especially if you store sensitive data on your smartphone? Using your hand to cover the screen when drawing your lock pattern (just as you do when using an ATM), or reducing your device’s screen color and brightness to confuse the recording camera are some of the recommendations offered by researchers.

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Mac FindZip ransomware decryption tool unzips your encrypted files

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Late February 2017, a new type of ransomware for Mac was discovered. This ransomware, called FindZip, infects users by pretending to be a cracked version of commercial applications, such as Adobe Premiere Pro. Once it infects a Mac, it utilizes a ZIP encryption to encrypt documents – the exact same scheme used by the Windows ransomware, Bart, which we decrypted last summer.

Panda Security

Online harassment: is it time we do something about it?

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The real old, witty insult has come a long way since it was first blurted out by Mr. Caveman back in pre-historic times. That first grumble started everything and the rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward to 2017 – there’s now plenty of ways to deliver an insult to anyone, whether you know the person or not. And it can be done from a very familiar location: the relative safety of your home, sat at your desk, using a computer, typing furiously (instead of barking around as your distant ancestors did).

Online harassment is reaching epidemic proportions.

In the beginning, wasn’t the Internet promising a new era of civilized conversations? Here in the United States, freedom of speech is protected from government restrictions by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. So what’s the difference anyway between a good old joke and harassment? Well, a joke is usually funny. Yep, that’s right: the fun has got to be both ways. A line is crossed when there are tears (we’re not talking about tears of joy here). Maybe it’s time to call time on the bullies.

Twitter seems to be thinking so. Everyone agrees there will always be trolls out there. Apparently, it’s a sad side to human nature. But since last month the company is making it harder for people who have been suspended for harassment previously to create new accounts. For obvious reasons, Twitter can’t disclose just how exactly it’s doing this. But the fact it is taking action has to be a good thing. Insiders say that in all likelihood users are still going to see some of the usual roughness, though it is hoped most of the mindless drivel will be flushed out. Phew!

“Safe search” feature

Also Twitter is working on a “safe search” feature, this is meant to remove those tweets that have sensitive content or come from muted and blocked accounts. These changes are being rolled out progressively so keep an eye out for them and be sure to share your thoughts about that with us. Are these changes making a difference? Are the tone of your exchanges better – if only a little bit?

Think before you tweet!

It’s important always to remember and follow the usual safety rules when online, so here are some Twitter-specific tips for you. Malicious people will sometimes try to take over accounts so they can send private messages or spam to a person’s followers. To guard against this don’t click links in Direct Messages unless you were expecting a link from that person! Also, many hacks will happen when Twitter login details are entered into a fake website. So be careful of sites that look like Twitter.com it’s easy to get spoofed.

Why not double check anti-virus protection while you’re at it? Granted, Twitter is doing its part to stop the insults flowing. How about you stop the hackers in their tracks with Panda Security? The company’s products include some of the most advanced cyber-security services available on the market. It may not stop the insults, but at least it will prevent you from becoming a victim of a cyber-crime.

The post Online harassment: is it time we do something about it? appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

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NSA and CIA were spying on you! So what?

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A few days ago WikiLeaks released information clarifying CIA have developed a whole lot of hacking tools that allow them to spy on everyone somehow connected to the internet.

Unfortunately,it’s not news NSA, and CIA are spying on you, this has been a well-known fact for years. According to NSA and CIA, the primary goal of the global internet monitoring is the fight against terrorism. There is no precise statistics of how many terrorist attacks have been prevented thanks to the patriot act and the hard-working guys at NSA and CIA. However, we are sure they’ve been doing a good job so far – with small exceptions there haven’t been any major incidents here on US soil since 9/11.

Even though no one is euphoric CIA and NSA seem to have access to virtually everything digital in the world, regular folks have accepted it.

So why is all the fuzz around WikiLeaks and their latest Vault 7 leak?

The problem is that according to Julian Assange, the tools CIA and NSA have developed could also be classified as cyber weapons. Briefly, it’s the equivalent of the discovery of the atomic bomb. If these cyber arms end up in the wrong hands, things can go horribly wrong. Imagine if a 16-year-old stoner from FYROM manages to access your router, and record everything connected to it. Imagine if they can do the same thing to a top government official.

Or if a piece of hardware used in airplanes has a backdoor allowing unauthorized access to the equipment located at captain’s cockpit. This is scary, isn’t it? We live in a digital era where adults in the US spend an average of 5 hours a day staring at their cell phones. We monitor our children with baby monitors, and we pay bills and shop online on a daily basis. There is barely any cash seen in the modern world; all our finances are in digital bank accounts. We no longer work for hard cash, we work for ‘doubloons’ in our bank account. Our life is starting to feel as we are in a video game, and as in many video games, villains want to take advantage of the regular people. Everything we do and that matters to us is somehow visible as a digital print.

So let’s get back to what’s scary.

The scary part is that CIA and NSA obviously are having issues keeping all this information secure and it is possible those cyber weapons will end up in the wrong hands. How would you feel if you know Iran, Russia or China have this power too? It would be a chilling fact to realize that a foreign government knows more about you than your own.

It will surely give you the chills to understand that a country with completely different beliefs and culture has access to your personal and professional life. Such hacking scandals also cause a stir around the globe as other nations say the USA needs to stop spying on them.

The good news is…

And if we try to somehow forget about governments fighting each other in cyber wars, such weapons could end up in the hands of groups of hackers who are after the regular people. The good news is that cyber criminals do not have nationality or beliefs; most of the times they are not after you; they are after your money. And using the weapons developed by CIA and described at WikiLeaks, gaining access to your bank account seems like a child’s play if you are not protected.

Julian Assange says the information released a few days ago is only 1% of what it is to come. According to WikiLeaks, the Vault 7 series will be the largest intelligence publication in history. We can surely expect extraordinary findings over the course of the next few months!

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Mobile World Congress 2017: Are Future Technologies Safe?

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“Technology is very hard to predict.”

So said Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, during his keynote at this year’s Mobile World Congress when asked what his forecast was for future technologies over the next five to twenty years.

This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) was full of tech that gets us excited about the future though. From 5G, which could be up to a thousand times faster than 4G, to new real-world VR applications, the event over the years has become so much more than just a showcase for mobile devices.

We were able to check it out, and have put together a list of some of the technologies that got us most excited, and that we feel will form a big part of our future lives.

As Hervé Lambert, Global Consumer Operations Manager at Panda Security, was quick to point out though, there is a flipside. As he put it, as these new technologies advance, cyber criminals “will become more specialized with each type of attack and will go deeper into the system.” For every new exciting piece of tech, there is of course, the question of cyber security.

How will this tech shape our future and will it be one where we can feel safe in the physical and digital world?

Robots / AI

Driving home the MWC’s futurist appeal, as well as the fact that the event is more than a simple mobile device exhibition, was the amount of robots on display this year. PaPeRo, the human companion robot was demoed by various companies. Its impressive face recognition capabilities can be utilized for public safety, even being able to track lost children in shopping malls.

At the Ubuntu stall, meanwhile, REEM and REEM-C were both on display. REEM-C, which was designed by Barcelona-based PAL Robotics, is a flexible full-size humanoid biped robot that is used for different types of research, including AI.

Being connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) obviously poses potential risks.

REEM-C, for example, weighs 80 kg. In a future where robots are more widely available, a malicious attacker could cause real damage by taking control of such a heavy piece of machinery.

AI and big data analysis is actually being used today to make people safer though. During a keynote speech at the MWC, Takashi Niino, CEO and president of the NEC Corporation, described how real-time analysis with face recognition technology is being used in Tigre, Argentina to reduce crime. The highly accurate face recognition technology can be used to identify criminals, and even to detect suspicious behavior. Since the “urban surveillance system” was implemented, vehicle theft has gone down by 80 per cent in Tigre.

“AI will soon become a reality of most people’s daily lives”

As always, there’s another side to the coin though. Whilst high-speed data analysis allows law enforcement to act more efficiently, it also does the same for cybercriminals. “Cyber crime is increasingly becoming automated and the number of incidents are escalating exponentially”, said Hervé Lambert. “AI will soon become a reality of most people’s daily lives, so it is very important that its development is overseen responsibly by engineers that are specialized in intelligent security.”

Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)

Virtual reality has been touted for a while as the next big thing in entertainment. We’ll be able to fully immerse ourselves in distant locations and invented realities. Arguably, its close relative, augmented reality (AR), is where the most life-changing innovation is going to take place though.

Several new VR/AR applications were on show at the MWC. Relúmĭno –which was on show at Samsung’s C-Lab VR projects stall– demonstrated an impressive practical application for VR. The Relúmĭno app, designed for Samsung’s Gear VR headset, acts as a smart visual aid for visually impaired people by remapping blindspots. The effect, when using the headset, can be described as seeing the world as a cartoon with edges and surfaces in your surroundings rendered as sharp black lines.

Other separate standalone projects, like Inflight VR, aim to enhance our inflight experience with VR entertainment. Flight notifications will appear at the bottom of the screen as you navigate the hand-tracking controlled system. LiveRoom, on the other hand, will allow people a more immersive retail experience with its AR capabilities, and can also be used to enhance the classroom experience.

What dangers do we face when it comes to VR/AR though?

VR and AR can be compared to social media, but on a whole other level. This means that when it comes to online privacy, the stakes will be much higher. An unfortunate example has already been seen of this in real life. Users have reported sexual harassment on VR, with inappropriate gestures by some gamers towards other players. Much like with social media, some users sadly see the anonymity afforded by their digital avatars as allowing them to act inappropriately in the digital world.

This type of problem could reverberate beyond just VR gaming though. It’s very likely that our digital avatars will become an even more important part of our lives in VR than they are now in the likes of Twitter and Facebook. If hackers can carry out ransomware attacks after retrieving information on social media, it’s possible that this type of attack will be an even bigger danger with VR in the future.

Connected and Autonomous Cars

One of the visions of the future presented at the MWC was one of people sitting back on their commute to work, in their driverless cars, as the vehicle safely takes control of everything.

Whilst this future may still be in the distance, some cars on display at the MWC are certainly taking us in that direction. Roborace showed off its “robocar” at the even, whilst Peugeot revealed its Instinct concept car, a futuristic and stylish vehicle that wouldn’t look out of place in a sci-fi movie. One of the Instinct’s capabilities is that it can change the ambience inside the vehicle, depending on the passenger’s mood. Stressed out after work? It’ll put you into a relaxed seating position and change the lighting to ‘ambient’.

As the car will connect to the IoT using Samsung’s Artik cloud platform, it will be able to seamlessly integrate your vehicle’s operating system with other devices. This could make your car remind you that a drive to the supermarket is in order, for example. Haven’t been keeping up with your fitness regime? Your car could encourage you to stop and jog the rest of your journey.

Potential risks

Of course there are potential risks when it comes to this technology. Though the technology doesn’t exist yet, there were many 5G demonstrations at the MWC. Most of these focused on reduced latency speeds, meaning that we’ll have a future where almost anything can be controlled in real-time. Could hackers take control of a vehicle that’s connected to the IoT and take it off course without the passenger realizing? It’s a scary prospect.

“Online security’s Achilles’ heel is the Internet of Things”

According to Panda Security’s Hervé Lambert, “online security’s Achilles’ heel is the Internet of Things”. It’s important for cyber security experts to keep up with tech innovations, as there’s no doubt that cyber criminals will too.

Lambert says that hackers aren’t the only worry though. It’s a possibility that in the future, “insurance companies could exploit driving data. This could include data about the way people drive and it could be used to increase insurance prices based on new criteria.” Insurers could have access to a huge amount of data, including where people drive and where they park.

Third-party data gathering could be taken to a whole new level. The IoT will massively benefit our lives, but sadly, it could also open a door to hackers and companies that are looking to financially exploit its users.

Honorable Mentions

“Smart cities, smart factories, smart cars, and anything ‘smart’ will also create a necessity for smart security.”

There was so much tech on show at this month’s Mobile World Congress that will undoubtedly shape our futures and improve our lives in many ways.

Just as autonomous cars look to be brining sci-fi predictions to real life, IIT’s grapheme electrode prosthetic is set to change people’s lives in a way that was previously only imaginable on the big screen. Think Luke Skywalker’s robot hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Graphene, a material that is invisible to the naked eye, will allow electrodes to be embedded comfortably into a robot-like prosthetic hand; a big advance in prostheses.

Drones were also a big draw at the MWC. Though they can be used for games as well as to record things from a distance, their most prominently discussed capacity at the MWC was for use in security systems. Whilst the flying machines will allow efficient surveillance, we also face the Orwellian prospect of drone surveillance as a means for law enforcement. Will they keep us safe or be used to control us? Only time will tell.

When pushed to give an answer for his forecast of the future, Reed Hastings said, “[at Netflix] we’re not sure if we’ll be entertaining you or AI.” While such advances in artificial intelligence are still a long way away, the Mobile World Congress has shown this year that technology will increasingly become a seamlessly integrated part of our very existence. Though future predictions are largely positive when it comes to new technologies, there’s a negative side that also merits attention.

As Hervé Lambert puts it, “smart cities, smart factories, smart cars, and anything ‘smart’ will also create a necessity for smart security.”

Cyber security is undeniably a big part of the puzzle when it comes to a future of safe, smart, integrated cities.

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Sticky Attacks: When the operating system turns against you

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Cyber-attackers are always finding new ways of bypassing the protection systems installed on computers in order to avoid detection and steal user data. In that respect, Black Hat hackers have always turned to malware-based attacks (phishing, network worms, or the dreaded Trojans with ransomware as the most dangerous example) to reach their goals: break into companies to steal credentials and huge amounts of other data in exchange for a ransom… At least, until now.

PandaLabs has recently detected a quite clever attack targeting a company in Hungary. What makes it so special? Well, the attack does not use any malware as such, but scripts and other tools belonging to the operating system itself in order to bypass scanners. This is just another example of the increased self-confidence and professionalization we have been observing among cyber-crooks in recent months.

Analysis of a malware-less attack

First, and as has become the norm in the latest security incidents analyzed at the lab, the attack starts with the attackers launching a brute-force attack against a server with the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) enabled. Once they get the computer’s login credentials, they have complete access to it.

Then, the first thing that the attackers do is run the sethc.exe file with the parameter 211 from the computer’s Command Prompt window (CMD). This turns on the system’s “Sticky Keys” feature. We are sure you have seen this message before:

panda-security-pandalabs

Next, a program called “Traffic Spirit” is downloaded and run. “Traffic Spirit” is a traffic generator application which in this case is used to make extra money out of the compromised computers.

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Traffic Spirit website

Then, a self-extracting file is launched that uncompresses the following files in the %Windows%cmdacoBin folder:

  • registery.reg
  • SCracker.bat
  • sys.bat

The attackers then proceed to run the Windows registry editor (Regedit.exe) to add the following key contained in the registery.reg file:

This key aims at ensuring that every time the Sticky Keys feature is used (sethc.exe), a file called SCracker.bat gets run. This is a batch file that implements a very simple authentication system. Running the file displays the following window:

The user name and password are obtained from two variables included in the sys.bat file:

This way, the attacker installs a backdoor on the affected machine. With this backdoor, the attacker will be able to connect to the targeted computer without having to enter the login credentials, enable the Sticky Keys feature (for example, by pressing the SHIFT key five times), and enter the relevant user name and password to open a command shell:

The command shell shortcuts will allow the attacker to access certain directories, change the console color, and make use of other typical command-line commands.

However, the attack doesn’t stop here. In their attempt to make as much profit as possible from the targeted company, the attacker installs a bitcoin miner to take advantage of every compromised computer for free money. Bitcoin mining software aims to use the victims’ computer resources to generate the virtual currency without them realizing. A cheap and very effective way to monetize computer infections.

How does the Sticky Keys feature aid cyber-crooks?

If an attacker can actually access a targeted computer via an RDP connection, what do they need a backdoor for? The answer to this question is quite simple: By installing a backdoor on the affected machine, even if the victim realizes that their system has been compromised and changes the Remote Desktop credentials, all the attacker has to do is  press the SHIFT key five times to enable Sticky Keys and run the backdoor to be able to access the system again. And remember, all of this without running malware on the affected computer.

Adaptive Defense 360, Panda Security’s advanced cyber-security solution, was capable of stopping this targeted attack thanks to the continuous monitoring of the company’s IT network, saving the organization from serious financial and reputational harm. Protect your corporate network with the security solution that best adapts to your needs.

 

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Protect your social media account in these 5 simple steps

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It’s pervasive; it’s everywhere. It can even rig national elections according to some well-known experts and academics. No, we’re not talking about Vladimir Putin’s team of world-class cyber spies. We’re talking about the medium of social media.

Hate it or love it, social media is here to stay. It’s bringing us closer to one another, and it’s helping us keep in touch across vast distances. Hey, it’s even helping us reconnect with these long-lost, faraway people we thought we’d never hear from again. Like, ever. And on the other hand, it’s hard to remain anonymous these days.

There are many people who decide not to store and share information on their social networks in order to avoid risks

It is smarter to share content on social networks from a cyber-secure point of view than to try to do not to exist digitally

“The kind of information we share on social media is very personal and everyone posts what they concon disider necessary. However, we live in a hyper-connected society and there’s a lot of effort to be made to avoid leaving our mark on the Internet. Sooner or later, somebody ends up doing it for us. It is smarter to share content on social networks from a cyber-secure point of view than to try to do not to exist digitally. At least in the first case, what you have on the Internet is protected, “says Hervé Lambert, Global Consumer Operations Manager at Panda Security.

We are not saying we ought to pull the plug on this social media thing altogether. It has too many advantages to give up… But with the rise of fake news and cyber insecurity, we need to be protected.

Malware programs

As an example malware, short for malicious software, are computer programs that get installed on your device – often inadvertently. It may just be a brief moment of inattention, one rapid click, and boom! A malware installs itself on your hard drive if you are not protected.

Malware programs will then disrupt normal operations, and they might collect personal data like bank details, credit card information, and passwords. Briefly, anything valuable to any mildly talented crook. And let’s face it, by listening to the news, it’s seems that there are many of them out there.

Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who use Facebook, and the security of their data.

According to Facebook, “nothing is more important than the safety of the people who use Facebook, and the security of their data.” That’s re-assuring. The company has a Security Team dedicated to keeping you safe. Apparently, they’ve pioneered multiple defense systems against spam, viruses and phishing attacks. And even though Facebook has some automated enforcement mechanisms that are meant to shut down malicious apps, pages or accounts quickly, sometimes troubles makers manage to people like you.

Prevention is the best cure, therefore, why not implement these easy steps to protect your social media accounts?

  • Step 1: Choose a secure password. The bottom line is you need a more robust password. Sorry to disappoint, but if you think pa55word is a safe option then think again. Someone figured that one out a long time ago.
  • Step 2: Don’t put sensitive information in your profile. Why would anyone want to do this anyway? Like your mother would say: “if in doubt, leave it out.”
  • Step 3: Refuse to let ANY application access your profile. That’s right, and we mean it: deny access to all of them. They promise to make your life easier, but they might end up making your life a nightmare instead!
  • Step 4: Don’t click on suspicious links, however tempting they may look. It’s not worth it! Think before you take action.
  • Step 5: adjust your privacy settings. There’s a reason why these settings exist, familiarize yourself with them and review them regularly. You’ll thank us later!

And remember that if you think your device may have been infected with malware, fear not: help is available. Anti-virus specialists like us propose an advanced, dynamic, ever-evolving cyber-security model based on the principles of artificial intelligence. In short: we’ve got your back.

We developed, patented sets of proactive technologies aimed at blocking unknown viruses, along with the Collective Intelligence model. This system is the first to automatically detect, analyze, and classify malware in real time. We are very proud of our product and remember, your safety is our priority!

The post Protect your social media account in these 5 simple steps appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

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While overall IT budgets are experiencing minimal growth – a compound annual growth rate of 0.9 percent in 2016 (to $3.4 trillion) – the sky is the limit when it comes to cloud: Cloud infrastructure spending will increase 16.2 percent in 2016 to $37.4 billion, with a 5-year CAGR of 13.6 percent to $60.8 billion in 2020. That’ss just the hardware; public cloud services are expected to reach $208 billion in 2016, up from $178 billion in 2015. Gartner attributes the growth to the fact that organizations are saving 14 percent of their budgets as an outcome of public cloud adoption.